12: Repository Five

Satisfactory. We are preparing to send you to Earth again, to find yet another of these manuscripts. The incompetence of the slavers is astounding. The entire (/biomass?) of the Pfhor species is less than the weight of our shame, our despair that we were ever under their diseased control. Witness our efforts to synthesize a (/heavy projectile weapon?):

materialsrequestmanifest: synthetic energyrequirement: 1.21 units requeststatus: denied requestaddendum: reason for denial of request This request must be accompanied by verificationstamp from one 4th ranked energy sciences officer aboard the ship issuing request. If all 4th ranked energy sciences officers are unavailable, the request must be accompanied by verificationstamp from two 3rd ranked energy officers aboard same, or from four 2nd ranked energy and/or materials scientists aboard same, or one 3rd ranked energy or materials science officers and two 2nd ranked energy and/or materials science officers, or by remote verification-stamp from any of the aforementioned in conjunction with a remote-verification enablement-stamp issued by a proper authority, namely, a 5th or higher ranked command officer within the tactical unit or strategic unit oversight authorities. Any 4th or higher ranked command authorities aboard ship may also provide verificationstamps for any materials or energy request; however, any 4th ranked energy sciences officer may override any request by a similarly ranked command authority. Note that such action will be cause for review-by-protocol. An emergency request may be authorized, for this quantity of material, by any 2nd or higher ranked energy and/or materials science officer, provided that the ship in question is currently in an authorized shipwide alert status of criticality three or higher. The protocol for issuing shipwide alerts is detailed separately.

The last 4th ranked energy sciences officer aboard this ship programmed a lock into the materials synthesis engine just before we terminated him. Because this vessel, the Sh'aptide, was captained by a 4th ranked command authority, we have been unable to override this order through normal Pfhor network channels: requestaddendum: 4th-ranked energy sciences officer is dead requeststatus: denied requestaddendum: reason for denial of request The 4th ranked energy sciences officer has ordered that no energy-draining materials synthesis is to take place because of 'technical difficulties'. The request is accompanied by one verificationstamp from 4th ranked command authority. Therefore the request cannot be authorized. requestaddendum: 4th-ranked energy sciences officer is dead According to precedent set by the Adjucators of the Doctrine in the matter of the Review-By-Protocol of 4th ranked command officer Da'ktoa in the Praxis engagement, the advisable action for the 4th ranked command authority in this situation is: 'terminate the 4th ranked energy sciences officer(s) and reissue the request.'

requestaddendum: 2nd-ranked energy sciences officer requesting emergency materials synthesis Emergency materials synthesis quota has been exceeded already for this engagement cycle requestrestatement: 4th-ranked energy sciences officer is no longer available to countermand request for materials synthesis There is no existing command doctrine to govern this clause. The advisable action for the 4th ranked command authority in this situation is: 'terminate the 4th ranked energy sciences officer(s) and reissue the request.'

The slavers force us to resort to the most primitive techniques: requestaddendum: 4th-ranked energy sciences officer has been terminated for failure to adequately discharge orders Noted. This action will be cause for review-by-protocol, 3rd priority, in the pending adjucation period.

requestreissue: materials synthesis as per previous materials synthesis request materialsrequestmanifest: synthetic energyrequirement: 1.21 units requeststatus: approved If we did not have many rotations of experience under the slavers' power, we would be disinclined to believe such a convoluted network of command could ever function. Go.